The biennial Trade and Sustainable Development Symposium, organised by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and held alongside the WTO ministerial conference for over a decade, is the leading multi-stakeholder platform for intellectual enquiry and dialogue on sustainable development and the global trade and investment system. It acts as an inclusive platform outside of the WTO negotiating setting for sharing ideas, engaging in dialogue, and influencing trade policy negotiations. Drawing in participants from government, business and civil society, the Symposium helps to maintain and elaborate a global vision of sustainable development in trade and investment policymaking.

The Sustainable Development Goals recognize gender equality as a major prerequisite to achieve inclusive development worldwide by 2030. In its Goal 5, the 2030 Agenda recognizes the unequal burden that unpaid work represents for women and the endemic gender discrimination in labor markets as main obstacles for women to achieve full potential (Economic and Social Council 66, 2017). The average amount of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work is more than threefold higher for women than men, according to survey data form 83 countries and areas (Economic and Social Council 66, 2017). Women are still underrepresented in managerial positions: in the majority of the 67 countries with data from 2009 to 2015, less than a third of senior and middle management positions were held by women (E/66/2017).Recognition of associated factors to labor market gender gaps is a first step to identify policies that help to bridge them. These interventions represent an efficient investment in sustainable development, as there is evidence of how much would economic benefits outweigh the costs (Bandiera & Natrak, 2014). According to a study, closing the gender gap could increase the size of the global economy by USD 2.1 trillion (McKinsey Global Institute, 2017). The panel will review that evidence briefly to lay the foundations for the central inquiries: ¿What policies should governments enact and what is the best way to redistribute initial costs? Besides, the speakers will consider what it means to incorporate a gender perspective in economic, labor and social policies. For instance, recent experiences in trade liberalization showed different impacts on the wellbeing of men and women; this makes a strong case for the need to include gender considerations in trade policy evaluation. No policy is neutral and the achievement of gender equality requires the recognition of this fact by policymakers.

Martin Rapetti is Director of the Economic Development Programme of CIPPEC. He holds a PhD. in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Buenos Aires. He is an associate researcher at CONICET, associate... Read More →

Mother, first female winemaker in Argentina, entrepreneur, successful businesswoman and Congresswoman.After graduating cum laude with a degree in Enology in 1981, Susana Balbo became the first female winemaker in Argentina’s history, and her first vintage of high quality Torron... Read More →

Carolina Castro is Executive Sherpa at the Business 20, an international employer’s forum that makes policy recommendations to the G20 countries. She was Undersecretary for Small and Medium Enterprises at the Production Ministry of Argentina. Previously, she worked in the famil... Read More →

Mona Küppers is a marketing expert and works for the Institute for Sports Science of the University Duisburg-Essen. For many years she held decision making positions in an honorary capacity within the Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund (German Olympic Sports Confederation - DOSB... Read More →

Mrs. Triaca is a seasoned professional with expertise in both public and private sectors.
She has developed her skills within the telecommunications industry as well as being Adviser to the Minister of Interior.
Currently She is the Executive External Affairs Director at the Argentina Investment and Trade Promotion Agency, acting as the link to Public and Private Institutions... Read More →

Irene Natividad, a recognized leader for women in the United States and throughout the world, is President of the Global Summit of Women, an annual international gathering of women leaders from around the world on business and economic issues, and Chair of Corporate Women Directo... Read More →

Martin Rapetti is Director of the Economic Development Programme of CIPPEC. He holds a PhD. in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Buenos Aires. He is an associate researcher at CONICET, associate... Read More →